{"nrhp_refnum":"97000218","name":"Leslie-Alford-Mims House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"100 Avent Ferry Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Holly Springs","county":"Wake County","state":"NC","lat":35.651678100000055,"lon":-78.83624931100934,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-03-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Commerce","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large three-story Greek Revival dwelling with Colonial Revival additions at 100 Avent Ferry Road, Holly Springs, Wake County, North Carolina, begun around 1840 by Archibald Leslie on a 13.33-acre remnant of an original 180-acre tract.","why_significant":"The house is significant for its Greek Revival architecture, including a two-story Doric portico and details inspired by Asher Benjamin pattern books, and for later additions. It is associated with Archibald Leslie and George Benton Alford, who contributed to commerce and community development in southern Wake County. The grounds also hold the natural springs that gave the town its name, a 1923 Confederate memorial and possible archeological remains.","narrative":"Begun around 1840 by Scots tailor and storekeeper Archibald Leslie, this three-story house on Avent Ferry Road in Holly Springs grew over some sixty years into one of the largest houses in Wake County. The original Greek Revival block features a two-tier Doric portico, plaster parlors with decorative wood graining, and details drawn from Asher Benjamin pattern books. In 1876 merchant George Benton Alford bought the property and added a ballroom, dining room, office, kitchen and meal-flour room. Around 1900 he built Colonial Revival additions, including a third floor, widow's walk, west wing and porte cochere, intended to host visitors drawn to the natural springs. Leslie and Alford helped build the town's commerce and civic life. The 13-acre property also holds a family cemetery, the five springs that named Holly Springs, a 1923 Confederate monument and possible archeological remains of earlier farm buildings.","period_of_significance":"ca 1840-1924","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Greek Revival; Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Interior and exterior integrity described as remarkably intact; the barn and wash-smokehouse are noncontributing because of disrepair, and the rear windows are boarded up for security and preservation.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:49.375422-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/1/7186/47718601/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/97000218.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000218/c770cebdc3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000218/c770cebdc3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"KimWrenn","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Front_elevation_Leslie-Alford-Mims_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">KimWrenn</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Front_elevation_Leslie-Alford-Mims_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47718601","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie-Alford-Mims_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20065290"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/wake-county/leslie-alford-mims-house-97000218/"}